I have officially been back in America for 10 months now! Being home has come with all the feels; I am thankful for home. Thankful for parents that take their broke 25 year old daughter back under their roof, for old jobs that re-hire if you say “pretty please” and for friends that make sure you never feel as if you skipped a single beat.
Home, this home, has brought on relaxation, doubt, laughter, lies, affirmation, uncertainty, sweet moments, fear love and grace…a lot of GRACE. I spent a year in eleven breathtaking communities that wrecked me forever in ways that I am still discovering today. Those homes are missed deeply. Not a day goes by that my mind does not wander and rest a thousand miles away. Being in this home is beautiful and special, being away from so many others, is harder than I could have expected.
Long before I knew anything about the Big Guy in the sky, I knew a part of my life would be spent abroad. I actually stated this to my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Bucich. I was going to graduate high school, go to college, play basketball and if the WNBA didn’t happen for a giant 5’4” girl such as me, I was going to spend a year traveling, maybe with the Peace Corp. or something, and then I would come home and “start a career”. I said this when I was 9 years old, just a few years prior to developing the worst taste in my mouth about the church. If you would have told 18 year old Asia that she would go on a mission trip in 5 years WITH Christians, she probably would have laughed you out the building….literally, kicking you out the building. God is funny like that. This desire of a young, debt-less, kickball playing, mud pie eating (yeah, I did that) 9-year old heart was already rooted in a Love that I didn’t know existed.
In the past two years, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the future. I received a degree in Business Admin. before the Race. I assumed I would return home and start sprinting towards the “starting a career” portion of the game plan. Well, that obviously didn’t happen. The more my life was wrecked by the world around me on the field, the less likely it seemed that I could just float back into California and resume as if I had just stepped off that graduation stage. My eyes had been opened; my mind exposed to a lot of truth- my truth, His truth, the truth of my brothers and sisters spread across this planet.
Through this truth, my passions have become more relevant. Passions that for many years I found as the odd tidbits about myself- things that made me come alive, got me riled up, made my heart sing and/or cry. I never considered that these bits were uniquely written on my heart with true, deep purpose; His purpose. I had never considered that I could spend a life tapped into these passions and that be a life that I was fully living for Jesus. It was one or the other; either I wear a pencil skirt working in Silicon Valley or Chacos in Africa. One was obviously the responsible option- the latter being rooted in my selfish desires.
Somewhere along the way I was introduced to a program called G42. G42 is a six-month program created for discipling, inspiring, and equipping young men and women to locate their passion – whether in business, the non-profit realm, church planting or the arts – and to develop a strategy to use that passion to bring Kingdom to the earth. Discovering your passion at G42 is rooted in St. Augustine’s idea: ‘Love God, and do what you want.’ They believe and teach that you are the will of God – the greatest thought He has ever had. Loving God with all our heart, while living fully alive in the passions He has given us is the best way to both serve Him and bring hope to the world.
This July, I will begin my time at G42 in Mijas, Spain! Since being accepted, I have spent my time saving and preparing for the trip. I have worked two jobs for a majority of my time home, partially because I do not know how to chill out and one job isn’t enough to thoroughly drive me crazy- and partially because the thought of fundraising (again), makes me weary. Moment of vulnerability- I struggle hard with asking for support. It is hard for me to come to people that I know love and support me and ask for help. I have always been stubborn in that way. I convince myself that I am a burden and learned to be proud of getting the job done solo-molo. That pride is not something that draws me deeper into my Fathers arms, but withdraws me into my own world where it is solely about me and what I can accomplish in my own strength. The Lord has taught me a lot in this area, but it would be a lie if I said my mind still did not wander in that direction. One thing I know to be true is that I can’t make it to Mijas on my own. Let’s be real what the heck can I do on my own? I also know that this community, my friends and family, brothers and sisters are people that I don’t want to experience life without. So in leaning into my Papas love and trusting in that, I humbly ask for your support. Your prayers, words of encouragement, and if you feel lead, financial assistance are all valuable contributions in seeing this through.
On my fundraising board, you will see the numbers 1-100. Please consider “adopting a box”! If you want to adopt a box, message me or comment and let me know which box number(s) you are interested in adopting! Then make a tax-deductible donation of your box amount into my G42 fund (or you can mail/give the donation to me if that is simpler for you). I will color in the box so that others know your box has been adopted!!! For example: Box 1=$1, Box 25=$25, Box 100=$100.
To donate:
–Go to www.g42leadershipacademy.org/donate
–Select “One-Time Donation” or “Recurring Donation”
–Type Asia Smith under “Leadership Academy Intern”, press Enter.
–Enter payment information, and Voila!!
If you made it this far, THANK YOU for reading! I know it has been a long while. I broke a few blog rules exceeding 1,000 words, but in all honesty, I could probably go on forever. So if you want to know more, lets meet up, get coffee, grab dinner, sit at the beach. Anything, I am in California until June 28th and would love to kick it! Hit me up!
All Love,
Asia
